Cat adds automatic

Caterpillar has developed a planetary transmission for medium-duty on-highway applications. Called the CX28, the new gearbox will be integrated with Cat's C7 and C9 engines. The CX28 has six forward speeds and one reverse speed, with horsepower ratings of up to 400 and torque ratings up to 1,250 lb.-ft. It is the medium-duty counterpart to Caterpillar's CX31 and CX35 heavy-duty transmissions, which

Caterpillar has developed a planetary transmission for medium-duty on-highway applications. Called the CX28, the new gearbox will be integrated with Cat's C7 and C9 engines.

The CX28 has six forward speeds and one reverse speed, with horsepower ratings of up to 400 and torque ratings up to 1,250 lb.-ft.

It is the medium-duty counterpart to Caterpillar's CX31 and CX35 heavy-duty transmissions, which were introduced in 2005.

“For decades Caterpillar has been building planetary transmissions for the Power Control Division,” said Larry Riekert, On-Highway manager, Caterpillar OEM Solutions. “We are now leveraging this expertise and applying it specifically to the transmission needs of on-highway customers.”

At this point, the company has no plans to release a transmission for non-Cat engines, but that could change, depending on the success of the product, Riekert hinted. “Our primary path is with Cat engines, but if it makes sense to couple our transmissions with another engine, we'll consider it.”www.cat.com.